Obama pardons Courage the turkey - "I was planning to eat this sucker."

[The Straight Story]

Obama pardons Courage the turkey


WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama waved his hand over Courage the turkey Wednesday, pardoning the bird from being the guest of honor on someone's Thanksgiving Day table.

"I hereby pardon Courage so he can live out his days in peace and tranquility" in Disneyland, where he also will serve as grand marshal Thursday in the Orlando, Fla., theme park's Thanksgiving Day parade.

Obama said he was showing mercy to the 45-pound bird at the behest of first daughters Sasha and Malia because "I was planning to eat this sucker."

"That's a good-looking bird," Obama said several times during the minutes-long pardoning ceremony of Courage, who was bred in North Carolina along with his stand-in, Carolina.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/11/25/Obama-pardons-Courage-the-turkey/UPI-37361259156226/

[virgogal]

1. "I was planning to eat this sucker." How presidential.

[Divine Discontent]

5. well, he was a teenager in the

70's and very early 80's, and he's from Chicago, so he's gonna sound a heck of a lot different than the old president's before him. we'll cut him some slack, yeah?

[virgogal]

9. You're right----I posted in haste.

[Chulanowa]

16. Consider option B

[treestar]

19. I remember that

Still can't believe it! :rofl:

[Big Blue Marble]

21. Sorry, but in this case what is the difference?

Both show a causal indifference to the suffering of animals.

[Chulanowa]

So do you

I guarantee, every single day, you are responsible for the deaths of thousands other organisms, or at least share the responsibility. And I'm very certain you could give a good goddamn less, and have never really thought about it. How many critters do you think died during the extraction, refining, and construction of the parts of the computer you're using now? I'm sure that somewhere in that machine you have plastic, zinc, copper, lead, tin, even cadmium and gold. These things aren't especially environmentally friendly, and result in lots and lots of dead animals.

Yet, there you are, typing away in righteous indignation.

Want to guess how much death is spread by the electricity you use to power that computer?

There's a reason ahismists usually ended up covered in filth and living in the dirt, Blue Marble. They actually tried to live their beliefs, and doing so essentially meant a total rejection of human life in exchange for perpetual illness and guilt. You, on the other hand, are simply trying to win hipness points on the internet.

[MineralMan]

38. Now, now...you mustn't ask such questions...truly.

They're so confusing, you see. It's all so simple for those folks. If you make it complicated, they'll not know what to do and be stressed. So, be polite, please, and don't bring up the contradictions in their point of view. There's a good lad...

[Big Blue Marble]

56. it is amazing how much you assume and project on to me.

You know nothing about who I am; what I think; or what I do. Yet you are assuming you
know so much more than I do about how the world works and how I work.

The word you might spend meditating on for the next four days is compassion.
Cause that really seems missing in your arrogant little life.

[JTFrog]

69. +1 n/t

[Arkana]

45. You're...you're kidding, right?

Because the President isn't a militant vegan that means he hates animals?

[tblue37]

27. Well, I think he sounds great. One should not always stand on one's dignity.

There is a time for lightheartedness and, yes, even flippancy. I love that he has a sense of humor.

[mopinko]

41. +1

man, what's next- he is taking up too much oxygen with his breathing and all?

[The Straight Story]

46. Me too, he seemed to be having some fun in all of it from what I saw

Relaxed, happy, enjoying it.

It made me smile.

[pitohui]

55. i do too, it's cute, heck, people, it's the ritual PARDONING OF THE TURKEY

it is not rocket science, it is not global thermonuclear war, it's the annual pardoning of the turkey

i think it's cute and i'm glad he had fun w. it

[Dorian Gray]

71. Me too.

[sudopod]

37. Pardoning turkeys is srs bzns. nt

[madokie]

70. How normal that sounds

and I like my President sounding normal like people I might know.

[BOSSHOG]

2. President Bartlett pardoned a turkey this morning on Bravo

[Posteritatis]

52. Didn't he draft it too? (nt)

[orwell]

3. The President pardoned...

...Glenn Beck?

[FarCenter]

4. I was hoping Obama would personally chop the turkey's head off to show resolve to the Islamists

This is just another example of the weak and wussy nature of the Obama presidency.

We are being confronted by Islamists who routinely slit the throats of sheep (as well as the occasionsl American), Hindus who kill hundreds of thousands of animals in religious ceremonies, and Chinese who eat almost anything, dead or alive!

And Obama just pardons the turkey and sends it to Anaheim?

We're doomed...

[Divine Discontent]

8. They're confusing me saying Disneyland, and saying Orlando - I guess he's going to both? lol

that bird is gonna fly finally!

[FarCenter]

13. I should have read more closely -- Turkeys can fly?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/322/wkrp-in-cincinnati-turkeys-away

[lib_wit_it]

25. I know, right? It's just going to embolden the other turkeys!

[Big Blue Marble]

6. Sad, sounds more like something that * would say. N/T

[SemiCharmedQuark]

12. It's the Turkey pardoning, not the global climate change summit.

Geeze.

[MineralMan]

17. Actually, it sounds like someone making a joke might say.

One of President Obama's good attributes is that he can speak both as a common man and as a political leader. When it comes to doing something as ridiculously symbolic as "pardoning" a turkey, the common man sort of expression is appropriate.

You are aware, of course, that some other turkey will be on his table tomorrow, right? The pardoning is purely symbolic and, perhaps, a bit comical, given that some other turkey will be his Thanksgiving meal.

Perhaps you just dislike Obama generally.

[Big Blue Marble]

18. The whole pardoning the turkey dance is ridiculous.

I am not sure that a perpetual life at Disneyland betters the dining room table.
It is an unnatural life of enslavement for the entertainment of others.

It would be nicer to think that the bird would spend its life quietly at
Farm Sanctuary. That would be at least for one turkey a real pardon.

How exactly is the pardon symbolic, for our collective guilt that millions
of other turkey are slaughtered? It is strange that you find any humor
in this charade.

And as to your generalization about my opinion of our President.
That does not not deserve an answer.

[MineralMan]

22. You know, I doubt that anyone really cares whether you

approve of this tradition of Presidents. I imagine that the turkey will be just fine with Disney. I've never been there, but I bet they have some sort of interesting farm-like place there where kids can see the animals. That's cool with me.

As a non-vegetarian, I have had chickens, rabbits, and goats as pets. I have also eaten chickens, rabbits, and goats. I have zero guilt for eating animals. As for the humor, few things are as funny as a turkey in real life. They're a cartoon on two legs, pretty much. The fact that millions of them are raised as livestock, to be eaten, is irrelevant.

At least that's true of the domestic breeds, which no longer can fly, for pete's sake. Now, wild turkeys are another matter. They're one of America's most majestic birds, and their populations are growing in many places. There's a flock of them just about three blocks away from my house, right in the City of Saint Paul. I see them often.

Wild turkeys are also very tasty. I no longer hunt, but my neighbor gave me a dressed wild turkey last year. It was excellent...much more flavorful than the domestic bird, but much less suited for a large family meal.

So, I watch the wild turkeys near my house and would be unhappy if someone killed them. But, I will eat a wild turkey, given the opportunity.

[whistler162]

39. Decaf... try it!

[HughMoran]

53. Psych-o!

:crazy:

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. I think Carolina won the lottery.

[MineralMan]

31. So it appears.

[Lilyeye]

26. "Perhaps you just dislike Obama generally."

I would think so. Its becoming harder and harder to deal with this place. I have no issue with people being on his case about policies, but when folks start picking him apart for how he dresses and calling him an asshole over a turkey joke...I don't know what to think anymore.

[MineralMan]

32. Well, anyone who refers to the President of The United States

as an asshole because he eats meat is pretty far from the norm, I'd think. That's a level of single-issue politics that goes way beyond mind-boggling.

Still, most people on DU are reasonable. It's just that the single-issue folks are so active in posting. It makes them look like they are more numerous than they really are. The answer, I think, is for more reasonable folks to post more frequently and to disagree with the single-issue ones.

In many cases, I suppose the percentage of people on DU who focus on one issue or another is higher than in the general population, but not all that much. We just hear more from them here.

What all single-issue posters have in common, however, is their ability to alienate people who do not have one over-riding issue that they care about. Calling the President an asshole over pardoning a turkey certainly alienates me. I believe I will have a turkey sandwich for lunch, just to get ready for tomorrow.

[Phoonzang]

7. I would have killed the turkey and donated it to the homeless.

*waits*

[Divine Discontent]

10. hey, times are tough!

[csziggy]

57. Obama actually made a comment about how many homeless that turkey would feed!

In all seriousness, a 45 pound turkey is past being good eats. Too big, maybe not tough since it was raised in a pen, but not at the peak age. If I remember correctly, commercially raised turkeys considered best for consumption are about 12 weeks old and 13 to 16 pounds, dressed out. Probably about 20-25 pounds "on the hoof".

As for the vegetarians being all upset - when was the last time you heard of a White House state dinner being nearly meat free? The one the Obamas gave Tuesday had as the only meat - prawns. I cannot conceive of any Republican president going without their red meat for even one dinner.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

11. Normally, I can cut him some slack for his quips...

but as a vegetarian who sponsors a living turkey at the Farm Sanctuary every year, this comment really annoys me. That "sucker" is a living creature with feelings, asshole. And this whole "pardoning" of the turkey is just a stupid charade that glosses over the fact that millions of birds will suffer and die for America's insatiable appetite for meat. I long for a day when a President would do some real good and have a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner.

[Schema Thing]

14. Do you object to humans eating animals, or just factory farming?

I understand the latter. The former is just part of the food chain.

[MineralMan]

15. President Obama is not a vegetarian.

He eats meat, just like the vast majority of Americans do. Your expectations are unrealistic.

Calling the President an "asshole" will not convince him, or anyone else, to become a vegetarian. It is a failing strategy to follow.

I repeat, the President is not a vegetarian. He's just like the vast majority of other Americans. That, dear Comtesse, does not make him an asshole. Calling him an asshole, however, reflects very poorly on you. It really does.

[Big Blue Marble]

20. Thanks for your comment.

Look upthread. I am saying similar things. LOL.
That comment got to me too. It was terribly inappropriate.

[ohheckyeah]

24. Maybe he should have referred to it as

Mr. Turkey.

[HopeOverFear]

28. LOL I love when jerks treat animals with more respect than people.

[MineralMan]

35. Ain't it a hoot? There's one wing of the extreme vegetarians

who think the population of the earth should be limited to some small fraction of its current human population. I think 500 million is the figure bandied about by these extremists. When asked how that is going to happen, they shut the fuck up right quick-like. But, we know what they have in mind. Oh, yes, we do.

My next question, which I never ask them personally, is why, if that is the case, and if humans are a virus on the planet, they are still walking around when they could do something about reducing the population. I guess it's all those other folks who are superfluous and dangerous, not them.

Extremism is extremely amusing, I think. Many contradictions to ponder.

[HopeOverFear]

43. You got it. n/m

[Raine]

49. Those things should go hand in hand

often people who disrepect animals disrespect people too.

[LynneSin]

29. So I'm guessing poor Carolina is dinner then

:D

[MineralMan]

30. Yah, I think so. Poor Carolina. I wonder if they made the choice

by pulling a turkey wishbone? :bounce:

[pansypoo53219]

34. no

both birds will go to DISNEY! shame they can't find a heritage bird.

[MineralMan]

40. Oh, good. They're both saved! Huzzah!

In another thread, it appears that a free-range turkey is on the White House Thanksgiving menu at Camp David. I don't know its breed. It's very possible that it's one of the heritage breeds, though. I'm sure there are wild turkeys wandering around near Camp David. But, it won't be one of them, I don't suppose. The kids wouldn't like the flavor.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

33. Waitasec. People are bashing Obama over THIS?

[MineralMan]

42. Oh, you betcher sweet bippy they are.

The vegetarians are in a monster snit over this. Never mind that two turkeys are saved. It's all those millions of turkeys that are going to die, including the one that will be on the Presidential platter at Camp David tomorrow.

It's all just too, too horrid. Our President is just like all the other meat-eaters. He should eat a Tofurkey, instead, you know. Those come from a nice, clean factory, where soy beans are scientifically and chemically altered into something the color of turkey white meat, but with the flavor of...well...industrially processed soy protein, with natural and artificial flavors, of course.

But, no. Heartless carnivore that he is, President Obama will dine on a turkey, just like the rest of the vast millions of carnivorous Americans will. So many turkeys. So little time.

[Posteritatis]

54. That's such a versatile collage, isn't it? (nt)

[murdoch]

36. Turkeys are not really pardoned

Turkeys today are not like their wild turkey forefathers. They are bred to get fat as quickly as possible to be killed for their meat. A modern turkey is like a very, very obese person who just keeps getting more obese. If the pardoned turkey lived, it would only live for a short period before dying of diseases related to this obesity.

I remember a journalist tracking a turkey who was pardoned once, I think it was by Clinton or maybe Bush I - after the show, the turkey was sent back in line for the slaughterhouse.

[spoony]

44. Am I going to have to see this added to his list

of accomplishments, now?

[MineralMan]

47. How silly you appear when you say things like that.

Every President any living person remembers has pardoned turkeys at Thanksgiving. It's a lighthearted moment. Everyone knows it's just a token thing. All of those Presidents had a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

When you post silly things, you appear to be silly. You may hate President Obama, and that's your concern, but silliness does not reinforce your point of view. It's just silliness.

[DaveinJapan]

59. Actually, Bush I was the first guy to start that tradition, 20 years ago. nt

[Fire1]

60. Wrong. n/t

[onenote]

74. you got a link to go with that "wrong"?

Who do you think started the formal tradition of pardoning the thanksgiving turkey?

[spoony]

67. Please refer to your own sig line.

And perhaps look into a thesaurus for Christmas.

[Raine]

48. Obama should've just pardoned the bird

left off the remarks.

[HughMoran]

50. "I was planning to eat this sucker."

:rofl:

Glad he has a sense of humor.

[Doremus]

51. The Prez was a hoot this morning. And the girls were as cute as ever.

[Toucano]

62. The whole thing was cute.

A nice little release of all the tension of our serious lives.

[Kaleva]

58. President George H.W. Bush, in 1989, started this tradition.

Although there are unconfirmed stories that Truman pardoned one in 1947 and Lincoln reprieved his son's pet turkey one year.

[Fire1]

61. Wrong. n/t

[Kaleva]

63. From Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/thanksgiving/pardon.asp

[Fire1]

65. Then Snopes is wrong. Try the story put out today by

msnbc and since I was around at the time, I can vouch for their accuracy.

[Kaleva]

66. More info

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/11/hold-the-stuffing----and-the-jokes-obama-pardons-turkey/1

"Obama said that the tradition of turkey deliveries to the White House dates to the 1950s but that presidential clemency came later. "I understand Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson actually ate their turkeys," the president said. He said President John Kennedy was the first to spare his bird and that President George H.W. Bush was the first to issue a presidential turkey pardon."

[cowcommander]

64. Meh

What's the point? Cheap laughs for a feel-good news piece?

[alterfurz]

72. yep

to the majority, animals remain merely
1. food
2. beasts of burden
3. entertainment

This kabuki photo-op is meant to combine 1+3 into an amusing little food play, but Obama strayed a bit too far from the ritual script.

feh

[Bluebear]

73. Elegantly put.

[mamaleah]

68. He made a joke. Oh noes. He's not super serious all the time. Time to get the panties bunched.

I hope he and is family enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner, turkey and all.

[HipChick]

75. clearly some folks have lost their minds, if they are getting their thongs in a wad over this..jeez